Tucker Rovig grew up idolizing Boise State players like Matt Miller, Byron Hout and Gerald Alexander during the Broncos’ heyday last decade under Chris Petersen. Now Rovig will get a chance to play for the trio’s new team. And there’s no way any other football program will sway the tall, strong-armed quarterback from Meridian, Idaho.
Rovig is a 6-foot-5, 205-pound gunslinger who is preparing for his senior year at Mountain View High School, a Southern Idaho 5A school just 10 miles from Boise State’s Albertson’s Stadium. Alexander was a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference safety for Boise State’s 2006 Fiesta Bowl-winning team before playing parts of five seasons in the NFL. Hout was a standout linebacker for Boise State between 2008-2011. Miller, a Helena Capital product, is BSU’s all-time leader in several career receiving categories who exhausted his eligibility following the 2014 season.
[restrict paid=”true”]In December, the former Boise State trio of star players joined former Boise State assistant Jeff Choate’s staff at Montana State. Miller will coach wide receivers, Alexander will coach the secondary and Hout will coach defensive line. The first verbal commitment the new staff garnered is one from the City of Trees.
Miller first reached out to Rovig after being hired several months ago. The staff extended an offer to the pro-style quarterback to attend Montana State’s individual camp in Bozeman in June. At the camp, MSU offered Rovig a full scholarship. Days later, Rovig became Choate and Montana State’s first verbal commitment for the Class of 2017.
“I watched Gerald Alexander, Byron Hout, Coach Miller when they were at Boise State,” Rovig said in an interview earlier this week. “I looked up to them. After Matt Miller’s senior year of football, he held a camp at Meridian High School which is a local school by me. He helped me out during that and that’s where the relationship started with him. When he went to Montana State, the relationship grew.”
“I felt like it was a great fit. When I went down there for camp, I expected an offer but I knew I had to throw the ball well. They were talking to me very heavily at that point. When I got there, I fell in love with Bozeman, just the whole environment of the whole city. The big thing with me is the relationship with the coaching staff. I felt like with Montana State, I have the best relationship there is with their coaches.”
As a junior, Rovig completed 149-of-250 attempts for 2,363 yards and 21 touchdowns against five interceptions. He rushed for 169 rushing yards and four scores, earning 5A Southern Idaho Conference first-team honors. His performance garnered interest from Idaho, Portland State, Yale and Montana State.
A day after he announced his commitment to Montana State on Twitter, Rovig’s recruitment from fellow Big Sky Conference members Montana and Weber State picked up. The Griz and the Wildcats each invited Rovig to their camp and suggested scholarship offers would follow if he performed well. A solid senior season should also help spike interest, but Rovig said his mind is made up and he will sign with MSU next February regardless of what sort of offers he secures between now and then.
“I’m expecting that but I’m 100 percent committed to Montana State,” Rovig said. “There isn’t another school I would want to go to. It they want me to take a visit, I’m just going to say politely no. I’m committed to Montana State.”
Rovig’s high school team employs a balanced offense similar to the attack MSU hopes to employ under new offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham. Rovig said Mountain View is balanced, uses play-action passes frequently, lines the quarterback up in the shotgun and under center and requires a quarterback with a strong arm and quick decision making skills. Rovig said he feels it is the perfect fit.
“It’s actually very similar to our style of offense,” Rovig said. “My best skill is I can throw the ball. I can surprisingly run the ball every once in awhile when I need to. I’m a competitor. That’s something I was born with and every single sport, every single aspect of life, I’m always competing. That correlates to Big Sky football I hope.”
Rovig let his teammates know of his commitment the first day back in the weight room after announcing his decision. His teammate and best friend, MV free safety Jace Richter, also has drawn a heavy amount of Big Sky Conference interest, including receiving offers from Montana State and Montana.
“Hopefully I can get him there because he’s pretty hooked on Montana,” Rovig said. “He’s my No. 1 guy that I want there since he is my best friend. I will try to swing him.”
Boise-area prospects like offensive linemen Zachary Redd and Connor Wood of Rocky Mountain High in Meridian and offensive tackle Brandon Kipper of Columbia High in Nampa all have received heavy interest from Montana State as well. Rovig will continue to recruit each to join him as Bobcats. He said the local connections that now reside in Bozeman shouldn’t hurt.
“They are able to recruit Idaho so well with all the ex-Boise State guys on staff,” Rovig said.
Rovig plans to major in exercise science or kinesiology in hopes of someday pursuing a career in physical therapy. He said he liked Montana State’s academic prestige and the college town feel provided by Bozeman. He also was drawn by the community support and the fervor around Southwest Montana for Bobcat football.
Rovig’s commitment comes earlier than is typical for an FCS-bound signal caller. But he said he felt a great sense of relief when he gave his pledge to Miller, Choate and the Bobcat coaching staff.
“It’s a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” Rovig said. “The past two days have been amazing not having to contact a coach or call them back. It was nice going into football workouts today knowing that my future is set with Montana State and I get to play my senior year with the brothers I’ve been playing with since I was in elementary school.
“This is a childhood dream of mine. I’ve had this dream of playing Division I football since I was in elementary school when I started throwing the ball with my dad in the back yard. It’s nice to know that everything I’ve worked for has finally been fulfilled. But it doesn’t stop now. There’s plenty of work still to do.”
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